Tokyo, Jul 28: A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on Japan's southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday, prompting tsunami warnings, emergency alerts, and a large-scale government response. The quake originated at a depth of 10 kilometres below the seabed, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said injuries had been reported and at least one building had collapsed following the earthquake. She directed authorities to prioritize saving lives, rapidly assess the extent of the damage, and carry out emergency response operations without delay. A government task force has also been activated to coordinate rescue and relief efforts.

The JMA issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas, cautioning that waves of up to one metre (3.3 feet) could strike affected shorelines. Residents living along the coast were urged to evacuate immediately to higher ground and follow official instructions. Public broadcaster NHK reported that tsunami waves may already have reached parts of the coastline.

Emergency earthquake warnings were issued for the Kyushu prefectures of Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita, and Miyazaki. Authorities temporarily suspended train services in parts of Kyushu while infrastructure inspections were carried out.

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority said there were no immediate abnormalities at nearby nuclear power plants following the earthquake, providing some reassurance amid memories of the 2011 Fukushima disaster. Damage assessments, however, remain ongoing.

The latest quake comes just weeks after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan in June without causing major casualties. Japan remains one of the world's most earthquake-prone nations, sitting atop four major tectonic plates along the Pacific Ring of Fire. The country experiences hundreds of earthquakes each year, including the devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 2011, which claimed around 18,500 lives and triggered the Fukushima nuclear crisis.